Ghana on a move to be food self-sufficient within five years
GHANA – Ghana has launched phase two of the government’s flagship program on agriculture, dubbed “Planting for Food and Jobs” initiative as the state seeks to make the country food self-sufficient within the next five years.
President Nana Akufo-Addo graced the launching at the University for Development Studies, in Tamale according to Ghana.
In force since 2017, the program aims to improve food security through five areas of intervention, namely the supply of improved seeds, the supply of fertilizers, agricultural extension services, the marketing of agricultural products, and the digitalization of the sector. agricultural (e-Agriculture).
According to the president, the program is intended to build on the achievements of the initial program and improve the delivery of agricultural services for the benefit of farmers as well as add 210,000 new jobs.
“Over the next four years, the PFJ is expected to record an annual average of 210,000 new jobs linked to agriculture,” underlines the Ghanaian president.
Speaking separately in an interview, Minister of Food and Agriculture Bryan Acheampong said that the initiative’s key focus would be on the dietary needs of Ghanaians, especially on staple grains such as maize, soya, rice, and sorghum.
Through cultivation of such crops in five years, he said, would make Ghana food-reliant and also provide the country the opportunity to grow the exportation of such food items.
According to Mr. Akufo Addo, it will notably make it possible to integrate a new credit mechanism to replace the subsidy system which was in force until then to improve beneficiaries’ access to inputs, storage infrastructure, and other support services to increase agricultural productivity and reduce post-harvest losses.
This project is timely, following the recent MOU between Ghana and AFEX, Nigeria’s leading commodities player to strengthen the commodity trading ecosystem between the two countries.
The MoU signing, which took place at AFEX’s office in Abuja on the 24th of August, had the Chief Executive Officer, GCX, Mrs. Tucci Ivowi, and the President/CEO, AFEX Nigeria, Akinyinka Akintunde, in attendance alongside other representatives.
The MoU signing underscores AFEX and the GCX’s commitment to leverage collaboration to transform the agricultural sector effectively and is aimed at fostering cooperation to enhance market integration and promote best practices.
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